Furnace fire-bridge.



I. H. CLEGG.

FURNACE FIRE BRIDGE.

APPLICATIQN men SEPT. 2?. 1916.

1,229,? Patented June 12, 1917.

JAMES HOLLINGSWORTH CLiFlGGr, OF WALLASEY, ENGLAND.

FURNACE FIRE-BRIDGE.

, Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 12, 191?.

Application filed September 27, 1916. Serial No. 122,538.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMns HoLLINGswon'rrr Cnncc, a subject of the King of Eng land, residing at Wallasey, in the county of Chester, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in or Connected with Furnace Fire-Bridges, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in means for supporting a plurality of bars on a bridge plate, and to the specific construction of the parts, and the means employed for locking said bars in position.

The fire bridge according to this invention will be described in connection with the accompanying drawings which illustrate it; and in which Figure 1 is a front view of the bridge construction, with some of the bridge bars removed, and partly in section; Fig. 2 is a cross section of the bridge; and Fig. 3 is asectional view showing a modification.

With regard to the features claimed as novel in respect to the herein described invention, these are specified in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents a furnace flue; 2 is the transverse fire bridge plate or girder which supports at the part 3, the back ends of the fire bars of the grate, and also on its upper surface the upwardly projecting bridge.

1 are the bridge bars, of which there are a multiplicity each having holes 4P, the bars being arranged side by side across the bridge in the wellknown way of fire bridges of the kind concerned; and at the back, upon the girder 2, there is provided a back plate 5, as usually adapted to hold the upper part of the bridge bars; it being bolted, as shown, to the girder 2.

The edge flanges of the adjacent bars 4L touch one another all around, except at the front faces, where they are cut away slightly, as indicated by the slots 6, for the passage of air from the interior of the bridge to the front, as is commonly done in bridges of the kind concerned.

The parts 7 are filling pieces at each side of the bridge, of the same shape in side elevation as the bars 1.

The upper ends of the bars 4: are held in the upper groove of the back plate 5, by tongues 8 on said bars, in the known way.

The back heel 9 of each bridge bar 4. projects down through the aperture 10 in the girder 2, through which air passes from the ash pit into the interior of the bridge; and it is heldthere by pivoted weighted levers or pawls 11, of which 12 is the weight; and one of which is used on either side of the center of the bridge; these pawls or levers being fixed on supporting pivot shafts 13, resting in sockets 14, carried from the girder 2.

These pivoted weight pawls are so arranged that when a weight 12 is pressed up from the front of the furnace, by any suitable means, the nose of the pawl moves away from the heel 9 of the bars 4: so that the bars can be removed from their posi tion-which otherwise they cannot befor renewal or otherwise; or placed in position.

It will be seen that these pivoted pawls or levers do not interfere with the draft into the air space within the bridge, or with falling ashes or dustfrom the bridge.

In the case shown, the pawls 11 act as direct stops to the bridge bars, they being hinged in front of the heels of the bars 4:; but in other cases the pawl or pawls may be adapted to act as tension pawls, and be of the hook hinged type, as shown in Fig. 4; in which case they are hinged beneath the girder 2, beyond the back of the bars.

It will be seen that the bridge bars at the upper part, lie in contact with the interior of the upper groove of plate 5; and at the bottom they rest 011 the upper plate of the girder 2; and between these two points of support, they lie out of contact with the plate 5.

What is claimed is 1. In combination, a fire bridge plate, a plurality of bars supported on the fire bridge plate, and a pivoted weighted latch engaging the lower ends of the bars, the weight serving to hold the end of the latch in engagement with the bars to prevent displacement of the latter on the fire bridge plate.

2. In combination, a fire bridge plate formed with an opening, a plurality of bars supported on the bridge plate over the opening therein, each bar having a heel which extends into the opening and which engages one wall of said opening, a pivoted latch located under the bridge plate and having its end engaging the front edges of the heels to hold the bars against displacement, and a weight attached to the latch to retain the latter in operative position.

3. In combination, a bridge plate formed with an opening and provided with a vertical support in rear of the opening, said support having a groove, a plurality of bars supported on the bridge plate, each bar having a transverse lug and a depending portion, the lugs engaging in the groove and the depending portions extending into the opening, and a Weighted pivoted lever below the bridge plate, the end of the lever engaging the lower edges of the lugs and the weight on the lever acting to hold said lever 10 ,in operative position.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

JAMES lIOLLINGSWOR'lH CLEGG.

Witnesses:

SQMERVILLE GOODALL, FRED OSBORNE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of. Patents,

' Washington, D. G. 

